1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to archery bows and, more particularly, to an improved archery bow comprised of a riser which includes an integral, rotatable grip assembly with locking mechanism adapted to eliminate heeling, toeing, and torquing of the bow when aiming and shooting an arrow.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the sport of archery, when employing conventional bows and arrows, several structural components and characteristics of the bows materially influence the accuracy of the archer as well as arrow speed. In order for an archer to aim and shoot accurately at a desired target, it is essential to avoid heeling, toeing, and torquing of the bow.
“Heeling” is defined as when an archer holds the bow below the midpoint, or when he exerts more pressure on the lower portion of his hand against the bow, the lower end of the bow bends more than the upper end, thereby causing the arrow to riser higher than desired. “Toeing” is the reverse, or when the archer holds the bow above the midpoint, or when he exerts more pressure on the upper portion of his hand against the bow, the upper end of the bow bends more than the lower end, thereby causing the arrow to travel lower than desired.
Attempts have been made to not only modify these components to improve arrow speed without sacrificing accuracy, but to also increase arrow speed while simultaneously improving accuracy. The following are examples of such attempts: hand grip fixedly mounted to limbs via a connector assembly to facilitate center flight of an arrow upon release from bow; decrease in the arm brace height, hand grip portions formed integral with risers so as to reduce torque from being applied to the bow through the riser; universally connected handles fixedly mounted in a forward relationship to handle riser via a frame assembly; complex cable and pulley arrangements; offset handle grip assemblies, and longitudinally-adjustable pistol grips.
Another structural characteristic which materially affects bow accuracy is the inherent torque which is generated during a shot. A first torque results from offset relation or misalignment of the arrow axis to the handle grip as the bowstring is drawn back toward its maximum deflection, thus resulting in a bow design having forces inherently imbalanced. This imbalance of force puts a torque on the archer's holding hand and creates a misaligned thrust on the arrow. A second torque results when an archer slightly twists the handle grip, while having the bowstring in a fully drawn position at the time of release of the arrow. This creates a misalignment which angles the bowstring away from its normal plane of travel. Thus, upon release of the arrow, the misaligned bowstring realigns during the string's forward thrust resulting in an unintended deviation in arrow's flight.
Early attempts at correcting the inherent torque problem have led to archery bows with pivotally-connected grip assembly installations. While these devices have helped to reduce torque generation during a bow shot, they have failed to eliminate or reduce torquing omnidirectionally to an optimum degree which would prevent an archer's accuracy to be impacted negatively. Further, these devices have neglected to design an archery bow incorporating an improved riser comprised of an integral grip assembly adapted to rotate relative to the riser's longitudinal axis in a friction-free manner. This improved riser is further adapted for quick, easy, and efficient mounting to conventional hunting bow limbs as an aftermarket accessory. The aftermarket accessory is mounted in a manner such that the hand grip component thereof resides posterior to the handle grip section of a conventional bow, thereby providing user with a greater draw length, and hence translating into an increase in arrow speed by approximately 35-45 feet per second. Moreover, these devices have failed to address the need for a quick-lock-and-release mechanism adapted to lock the rotatable handle grip in a fixed position once archer has the bowstring in a fully drawn position and taken aim.
Hence, there is a long felt need for both an archery bow comprised of an improved riser which includes an integral, rotatable grip assembly with locking mechanism adapted to eliminate heeling, toeing, and torquing of the bow when aiming and shooting an arrow, and for an improved riser of a substantially similar design adapted for quick, easy, and efficient mounting to conventional hunting bow limbs as an aftermarket accessory.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,121, issued in the name of Hoyt, Jr.;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,287, issued in the name of Babington;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,124, issued in the name of Burling;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,937, issued in the name of Burling;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,413, issued in the name of Walk;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,093, issued in the name of Hamlett;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,005, issued in the name of Hill;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,790, issued in the name of Hoyt, Jr.;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,685, issued in the name of Walker;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,854,965, issued in the name of Eberbach;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,286, issued in the name of Thacker; and
U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,361, issued in the name of Vyprachticky.
Website www.mathewsinc.com, published 2005, advertises hunting bows, particularly the Switchback XT and Switchback LD.
Website www.bowmanbows.com, published 2003, advertises the sale of archery equipment, particularly the Accu-Riser 2.
Website www.bowsports.com, published 2005, provides a comprehensive online archery equipment web shop.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved archery bow which allows an archer to virtually eliminate heeling, toeing, and torquing of the bow when aiming and shooting an arrow at a desired target, thereby materially enhancing the archer's accuracy.